The Boulder Public Library's new rules of conduct don't allow children under the age of 12 to be alone in the library.

Library officials say they developed the new rule, which will go into effect Wednesday, because some parents leave young children by themselves in the children's section while the parents use other sections of the library.

Sometimes children get frightened, said library spokeswoman Jennifer Bray. Sometimes, they act up.

And the children's section is near the front entrance, meaning a child could wander off, said Bray.

"Knowing that we are not able to provide the level of supervision that we would like, this is designed to ensure the safety of the children," Bray said.

But some Boulder parents say the rule unfairly limits the independence of older children who have been using the library by themselves for years and should be reconsidered.

"He walks to school by himself. He can walk and ride his bike all over downtown by himself, but he can't be by himself in the children's section of the library?" asked Steve Hendricks, a Boulder freelance writer, of his 10-year-old son, Elliott. "That doesn't make sense."

Elliott Hendricks, a sixth grader at Casey Middle School, describes himself and his best friend as "bookworms."

"We like to go to the library and grab a few books before trips, before weekends," he said.

If he has to go with his parents, it will be harder to go with his friend, he said. That will mean less talking and sharing about the books they both love.

Bray said the library is a welcoming place for children and families, and no one will be asking the ages of older children who are behaving appropriately.

"We 100 percent welcome children and families," she said. "Like all libraries, we believe in the importance of teaching children about love of books and reading."

Children's librarians say they have three-to-four incidents a month in which a child is left alone in the children's section and either gets scared because they don't know when their mom or dad will be back, or has a hard time behaving appropriately. Very few elementary-aged children use the library by themselves, they said.

But Hendricks said the library should develop rules based on behavior rather than make a broad rule it doesn't intend to enforce.

Bray said library officials looked at the policies of other libraries and at the age that the Colorado Department of Human Services considers it appropriate for children to be home unsupervised, which is 12.

Bray acknowledged that the age is somewhat arbitrary as every child matures at her own pace, but said library officials wanted to be consistent with state guidelines.

The new rules of conduct, which cover a wide range of behavior, were posted online for comment, and the library only received three comments, none of them addressing the age issue, Bray said.

The Library Commission approved the rules of conduct, and City Manager Jane Brautigam accepted them. The rules of conduct did not require action by the City Council.

Hendricks said he believes most parents didn't know about the new rules when they were still up for discussion, and said the library should have had a more open public process.

Hendricks said the new rule is a good example of how public input can improve policy.

Without that input, "You can often end up making a rule that makes perfectly good sense to you, but maybe it's not the best thing for the community," he said.

He pointed out that Boulder children with city-sponsored EcoPasses can ride the bus to Denver without adult supervision but now will not be able to use their neighborhood library on their own.

"Now on a Saturday afternoon when my son and his best friend ask if they can ride their bikes down to the library and get a few books, as they do all the time, I'm supposed to say no," Hendricks said. "It's ridiculous."

Boulder is pretty good at producing rock bands, and by "rock," we mean the in-your-face, guitar-heavy, leather-clad variety — you know, the good kind. For a prime example, look no farther than BANDITS. Full Story